Rule #1: Common CourtesyPlease be polite when posting. Discussing movies is naturally going to lead to conversations with other people who do not agree with your opinion of a film. One of the great things about that is that neither opinion is wrong, the film simply hit the right chord for one of you and failed to entertain the other. You do not have to agree with everyone and a good debate is definitely an asset to the community. Flame wars are useless, so rude and insulting behavior is not tolerated.

I have an important addition to this. If one of the moderators (this includes me, Andrew) makes a decision that you disagree with, constructive debate about the issue is welcome. We all make mistakes or take action without having the best information or forethought, so the forum benefits when everyone contributes to find the best solution to problems.

Rule #2: No SpamSpam is a bane of mankind's online existence. Any form of spamming will result in banning and probably a notification of your Internet service provider. This does not mean that webmasters, actors, directors, or distributors cannot post publicity materials or links to other websites that will interest bad movie fans. By all means do so! Please do not make duplicate posts (posting the same thing over and over on different parts of the board) and understand that the forum might not respond with overwhelming support if your only post is one advertising your film.

Rule #3: Proper EnglishWe all make mistakes while typing, but please make an attempt to write posts that are clear and not filled with "netspeak." If the other forum members cannot understand you, they will likely ignore you. We do have regulars from other countries and they post in English (quite well too). The reason that English is the primary language is that the moderators cannot ensure posts are legitimate without running them through Babel Fish or another translation service.

Rule #4: Avatars and SignaturesAvatars must be 100 by 100 pixels or less and 30 KB or less in file size. Signatures are limited to 500 characters or less. If you wish to use a linked image in your signature, that is fine, but please keep it reasonable. The signature line is intended to tell others a little more about you (or make people laugh) not distract someone from the rest of the thread. As a general rule, a signature image should be no larger than 500 pixels wide, 60 pixels tall, and 100 KB file size. Using your signature to promote a website is fine, but please follow the above rules.

Rule #5: Safe for WorkMy intent is that Badmovies.org be safe for anyone accessing it from a work or school computer. Do not post pornographic images or links to adult websites. If there is something you want to share, but it is not on a site safe to access from the workplace (a number of horror and b-movie websites can fall into this category), please put a prominent "NOT SAFE FOR WORK" notice in the post.

Rule #6: Foul LanguageI am a Marine and hear it often; I am guilty of cursing plenty too. However, you will not find my reviews or posts to be expletive-laden. In keeping the forum safe for those accessing it from a workplace or school computer, please keep the foul language to a minimum. I know that the movie hurt you and you want to scream about it, but making every other word #&@*@! is not going to help. That being said, substituting in something like "#&@*@!" or "a****le!" is usually a safe alternative if not overused.

Rule #7: AccountsRregistration is not required to post on the forum. Multiple accounts are not authorized, as the only use I can see for them is deceit. Please do not share your account password with others. Anything done with your account is your responsibility; if you share your password with your younger brother and he goes nuts trolling the forum, you will probably find yourself permanently banned.

Rule #8: KarmaThe intent of the karma function (the "applaud" and "boo, hiss" under a poster's identification) is not to systematically punish or reward someone. It is there to identify posts that are interesting, insightful, funny, trolling, or almost any of the normal classifications found on Slashdot - which is an ingenious system. You should not be clicking "boo, hiss" every time on a certain poster, just because you do not like them in general. Nor should you "boo, hiss" another member for disagreeing with you. I have given other members karma a number of times for posts completely opposite my viewpoint, because they made a good argument. Members are not able to use the karma system until they hit a certain number of posts.

Rule #9: Welcome AboardThe forum is a place for b-movie, cult film, and bad movie fans to enjoy. It is a community; we often share pieces of our lives, in addition to talking about the best exploding head shot or least threatening monster. New posters are always welcome and we understand that your newness to the board does not mean your opinions and thoughts are less important. It simply means that you have not posted before.